Indiana State Library

Collection of Indiana History and Archives was formally established in 1913 by act of the General Assembly, although the State Library has collected information about Indiana since its inception. Now known as the Indiana Collection, it holds one of the largest, broadest collections of material about the State of Indiana and its people, places, and events. The Indiana Collection manages the manuscripts collections of the State Library, as well as its state documents program, newspapers collections, photographs, and oral histories. You can reach the Indiana Collection by telephone at 317-232-3670.

What We Have

The Indiana Collection includes current and historical materials on Indiana for use in the Indiana State Library. We hold over 70,000 books, including histories, biographies, directories, magazines and newsletters, atlases, state documents, and works of fiction by Indiana authors. Our collections also contain over 50,000 pamphlets, and more than 11,000 maps, as well as nearly three million manuscripts, hundreds of photographs, sheet music, and broadsides. The newspaper collection contains over 80,000 reels of microfilmed Indiana newspapers, as well as original Indiana newspapers from the 1800s. We carry nearly 150 subscriptions to newspapers from around Indiana. The majority of the materials in the Indiana Collection must be used within the Indiana State Library.

For more information, learn about the sections within the Indiana Collection:

In addition, the Collection has specialized card indexes for researching Indiana, including the Indiana Biography Index, the Indianapolis Newspapers Index (dating from 1898 through 1991), and indexes to its manuscript collections and image collections. Many of these indexes and databases are available online; others will be made online within the next few years.

What We Do

The Indiana Collection serves legislators, state officials, state employees, scholars, students, family historians, and those looking for information about the history, culture, and current events in Indiana. Patrons can visit the Indiana State Library to research their topic. Patrons can also write, call, or e-mail their questions about the collections to the staff of the Indiana Collection. Groups and classes are encouraged to arrange research visits or tours of the Indiana Collection as well.

The Indiana Collection also manages the State Documents Program, which collects official state publications from Indiana state agencies and distributes them to depository libraries throughout Indiana.